To begin with, let us highlight two major projects already being carried out by the Astronomical Institute of the University of Wrocław in cooperation with ESA. The first involves the construction and commissioning of a radio telescope for continuous monitoring of the Sun at radio wavelengths of 10.7 cm and 30 cm, together with the accompanying infrastructure, at the University’s Astronomical Observatory in Białków (ESA Programme PL_RM22 European F10.7 and F30 Monitoring System). This development project is being implemented in cooperation with the Poznań-based space-sector company ITTI. It is of fundamental importance for strengthening the European Union’s independence from external providers of data that are crucial for analysing and forecasting space-weather phenomena, as well as for building the infrastructure of the key European Space Situational Awareness (SSA) programme.

The project was initiated and is led at the University of Wrocław by prof. dr hab. Paweł Rudawy, who is also involved in another project, namely participation in the design and preparation of the ASPIICS camera for a satellite coronagraph installed on ESA’s twin-satellite mission known as PROBA-3. The PROBA-3 experiment aims to test and refine automatic satellite formation-flying techniques with sub-millimetre accuracy. At the same time, components of the largest Lyot coronagraph system ever built have been placed on the two satellites, in which the artificial “Moon” is located as far as 140 metres from the camera. The satellites are already in orbit and operational. The perigee is approximately 60,000 km, and the formation-flying phase lasts about six hours during each orbit.

At the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Wrocław, the Department of Basic Chemistry has conducted research connected with NASA and the Phoenix mission to Mars in 2007. A phosphor for the detection (absorption) of UV radiation was produced in the University’s laboratory for this mission. The phosphor was used as a component of a UV detector forming part of the Phoenix mission’s on-board “laboratory”.

One of the mission’s objectives was to measure the actual intensity of UV radiation on Mars – an important issue for potential crewed missions. Previously, UV levels on Mars had been estimated mainly on the basis of indirect observations rather than direct measurements. Thanks to this research, direct measurements were obtained and the UV intensity could be assessed more accurately.

In preparing the detector/phosphor, the team led by prof. dr hab. Eugeniusz Zych, collaborated with prof. Walter Goetz, who at that time was consistently involved in various Mars-related research projects.

Meanwhile, the Molecular Spectroscopy and Photochemistry Group, led by prof. dr Małgorzata Biczysko, investigates molecules and chemical processes occurring in outer space, including in interstellar ices and clouds. In laboratory conditions, molecular spectra and their photochemical transformations under cosmic radiation are analysed, supported by advanced quantum-mechanical calculations. The resulting data help to interpret observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and bring us closer to understanding how the first prebiotic compounds may have formed, key to the origin of life in the Universe. By combining experiments with computer simulations, the University of Wrocław actively contributes to global research on astrochemistry.

At the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Faculty of Earth Sciences and Environmental Management, the Student Geological Society has been conducting micrometeorite research since 2022. Initially, samples were collected from rooftops in Wrocław; the project has since expanded to locations across Poland. Together with the “Nauka. To lubię” Foundation, students have developed educational programmes enabling school pupils to conduct their own scientific research. Thanks to this cooperation, more than 130 micrometeorites have already been identified, and the first research results have been published in specialist journals.

A research team led by prof. Tomasz Niedzielski from the Institute of Geography and Regional Development is also working on the use of satellite altimetry data to forecast river water levels and to model changes in ocean levels.

Since early March 2025, the Astronomical Institute of the University of Wrocław has had, for the first time in its history, a remotely controlled telescope, an advanced observational system offering extensive research and educational capabilities.

The core element of this system is a 12.5-inch Ritchey–Chrétien telescope manufactured by the American company RC Optical Systems (a truss design). Telescopes of this type are valued by both professionals and astronomy enthusiasts for their excellent image quality and minimal optical aberrations, which translate into high-quality imaging of deep-sky objects such as nebulae, star clusters and galaxies.

Finally, it is worth mentioning the success of Wrocław students at a prestigious scientific conference.

Jakub Leś, a fourth-year law student at the University of Wrocław, and Manfred Gawlas, a third-year student of algorithmic computer science at WIT Wrocław University of Science and Technology, received first prize in the competition for the best undergraduate student scientific paper at the 76th International Astronautical Congress.

Held since 1950, the International Astronautical Congress is the largest and most prestigious scientific conference bringing together researchers in space science and technology. At last year’s edition, held under the theme “Sustainable Space: Resilient Earth”, more than 4,100 scientific papers from researchers representing 103 countries were presented, organised into 34 thematic symposia.

The award-winning paper, “Operational Sustainability of Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit: Analysing the Impact of Localised Fragmentation Events on Space Operations in GEO”, examined the short-term implications of object fragmentation for the operation of satellites in geostationary orbit. The jury unanimously awarded first prize, selecting the paper from more than 1,000 student submissions.

The interdisciplinary project was created through cooperation between students from two Wrocław universities — the University of Wrocław and Wrocław University of Science and Technology — combining legal and technological expertise in analysing the challenges facing contemporary space activities.

More about the initiative to establish a space technology centre in Wrocław: https://www.wroclaw.pl/dla-mieszkanca/centrum-technologiczne-europejskiej-agencji-kosmicznej-wroclawski-list-do-premiera-tuska

More about our scientists’ projects, including those related to space technologies: https://uwr.edu.pl/en/2025-was-a-year-rich-in-grants-awards-and-distinctions/

Edit. Katarzyna Górowicz-Maćkiewicz

Added by: M.K.
Date of publication: 15.01.2026